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Seing as my game is mentioned (and seemingly the Turkey Shoot over Northern New Guinea), I thought that I should post my opinion on this matter for whatever it is worth.

Naturally it was a masterful plan, perfectly executed and only the devilish RNG thwarted it. [:D]

Or perhaps not.

But I'll come to that later. Nemo raises some good points in his post but also makes a couple of assumptions that IMO are questionable - or has discovered some way to manipulate the game mechanics that are yet unknown to me in which case I really would like to know them.

-) Sweeping the invasion hex or fleet is the first one. Since the sweep mission does get a bonus against CAP it is a very good choice theoretically but the problem is that you cannot sweep your own airfields or enemy task forces it is not easy to accomplish. I guess setting fighters on escort and trying your best to make coordination unsuccessful might be the only way but it is not a very reliable one.

-) Using SCTFs to lengthen the time the invasion has to stay in the hex. That is not a bad idea at all but in AE it seems to be a lot harder to pull off. Castor's APAs and LSTs can unload a corps of troops + a ton of supplies within a single day so the SCTFs would have to be pre-positioned and re-fueled just correctly. The fact that 4Es on 1k ft naval attack make Betties look positively tame might holding them there for any period of time ...difficult.

-) Attriting the US CAGs is also a lot harder than in theory. In this case castor rarely uses his carrier bombers at all (leaving suppression to the 4Es) and without them having to escort strikes reducing the 120 Hellcats/month is not an easy task.

-) Layered CAP does indeed help against sweeps but it works not perfectly (at least for me). I have seen that more often than not the strato-sweepers engage the highest squadron first, then dive on the next one and so on. There is also the fact that sweeping leaking CAP can easily erode the defender's best advantage - numbers. Thanks to the wonderful feature that most sweeping squadrons come in one after another they each will face a small number of opponents that can be outnumbered, dived on and shot down with impunity. LRCAP isn't an effective answer either if there are say 6 bases around the target base in question. But I would love to hear your suggestions on this matter.


Back to that battle:

The single portion of the game where I think the RNG did screw me over was not related to the ata combat but rather the weather. Instead of the predicted sunshine the US fleet was rained in which did not help accuracy at all. But there was nothing I can do about that.

What I wanted to achieve was pretty much what happened - an opportunity to strike against the USN carriers without any (or at least limited if a couple of carriers reacted) retaliation. I think my biggest mistake was not trusting my gut feeling and holding the IJN SAGs back during the night (they could have reached the carriers but not the invasion fleet IIRC). I correctly predicted the position of the carriers but kept telling myself that castor would surely move them a hex or two laterally to avoid a surface intercept. It would have been a bloody night but certainly worthwhile during the day phase.

I can't really say much about the ata phase except that less fighters than expected flew. OTOH they were available to combat the USN heavies so I won't complain. One thing that could have helped would have been switching bomber daitais with fighters. I understand that some people like Nemo like to do this routinely but this is something I personally find gamey and is therefore not an option for me.

I did expect brutal losses - and was not disappointed there - even if the hits scored were meagre. OTOH the IJN also lost nothing critical. Both airframes and trained pilots can be produced and replaced in quantity and I gained valuable experience and information to better set up the next engagment. And perhaps then a couple of Netties might decide to leave their cosy hangars and fly against the invasion fleet.

BTW castor likes to place his carriers (and SAGs) in front of the invasion TFs which might make your suggested plan for dealing with them a bit awkward.

Just my € 0,02.

Rainer,

1. Umm, I've been able to sweep my own hexes. There's a bit of fiddling to get it right but it can be done. Also you can get sweeping fighters to go along as escorts too ( but without the inbuilt escort disadvantage and with all the height advantage you want ) if you co-ordinate things right.

2. SC TF placement. Aye, never said it would be easy [8D]. It is tough to get right but easier than taking on the USN CVs with inferior planes and numbers and pilots.

3. Attriting the US CAGs... Planes with poor pilots are pretty useless. If you could down 400 USN fighters over 3 months over your own territory then I doubt the USN pilot reserves of really good pilots ( 70+ ) are going to stretch that deeply. I happen to think that 400 plane goal is quite doable if you fight a defensive fight.

4. Layered CAP. Layered CAP on its own isn't enough. Layer it AND have the late-arrivers be your highest layers. That's the implication of what I was talking about above... and it works.

5. If he places his CVs in front of the invasion TF then you just set up your strike to come in from "behind" his invasion TF. If he puts his CVs west of the invasion TF then you put your CVs 8 hexes east of them. Does it take skill to avoid being spotted etc etc? Sure but it is doable.


Aye the bad weather was unlucky for you. Overall though my main input re: the battle was just to point out that Castor's view that shooting down so many of your planes in response to so few of his wasn't quite as unlikely as he seems to have thought it to be. Good luck next time you bring him to battle.

ORIGINAL: Nemo121
If you are seeing good kill rates I would imagine that his experience must be poor and I would also imagine you are seeing most of his CAP already in the air when the battle begins with, proportionally, few later joiners., In my battles the late joiners can be up to 80% of the Allied planes involved. I imagine you wouldn't be seeing that at all in your game though - and that is, I think, another important contributor to the difference.

That is probably a contributing factor. IIRC, my only outright fighter defeat to this point had many Allied late joiners (but then again, my fighters were simply heavily outnumbered there). The pilot quality likely makes the biggest difference. And concentration of forces/their tactical use is a factor too - I haven't read this AAR entirely, but your opponent seems to be too fond of single-group sweeps and allowing strikes to go into enemy-controlled airspace without accompanying sweeps.

He's had problems with co-ordination but by the same token he has mounted a few 50+ escort attacks and mounted a few days of 100+ to 200+ fighter sweeps. Unfortunately for him I declined most of those battles and, instead, chose to fight him only where he was weak.

BY concentrating 200 fighters in one place it meant he created other places he only had 20 or 30 and so I avoided the 200 and hit the 20 or 30. So it looks like he is choosing to send those poorly escorted strikes in vs my CAP but really he is being manipulated into it a lot of the time. To be fair though, when he concentrated his force apart from a 3 or 4 day portion of time recently I've always chosen to run away and look for easier prey.


Pilot quality is, overall, the biggest factor, I agree.

While this game is continuing I have had an abiding interest in an end of war scenario. Unfortunately there is no end of war grand campaign but AndyMac's Downfall scenario forms an excellent starting point for an EA mini-mod.

I'm not going to touch anything in the scenario except to decide that in mid-43 the Japanese saw this sort of situation developing and planned accordingly, converting their SS to SSTs and minelayers, accelerating and expanding Ohka production etc.

1. Adding the Ki-264 series of bombers/transport/recon planes to the mix. I will substitute 2 x Ohkas for the HS-293s in EA to better represent the desparate backs to the wall situation Japan found itself in in 1945. Each Ki-264 would have been easily able to handle 2 x Ohkas. I will also reduce the range of the torpedo-carrying version but give it more armour in return. I think that's a reasonable trade-off. Each Ki-264 will still cost 6 engines to produce and these will be of the latest engine type.

2. I will remove the requirement for engines to make the Ki-115 and its naval variant.

3. I will change some of the IJN subs to minelaying versions and convert most of the rest to SSTs.

4. The biggest change is that I plan to rationalise IJNAAF and IJAAF production.
The rules I will follow will be as follows:
a) engines can be swapped within a "generation"

E.g. Engines which began production in 1941 can be swapped to any other engine type which began production in 1941 at no cost and with no loss in productivity prior to game start ( I will use the editor for this ).

So, Mitsubishi Ha32s can be switched to Ha33s since both were available in December 1941 BUT neither the Mitsubishi Ha32 or Ha33 could be switched to Nakajima Ha44s since the Nakajima Ha44 only entered service in 1943.

I will make all engines in the game which enter production after September 1st 1945 ( the Mistubishi Ha42, NE Turbojet and Toko Rocket ) producible from September 1st 1945. This won't have any impact on production or the ability to swap production except for the NE turbojet but you'd have to be mad to make lots of them anyways. The overall effect of this is that Japan will be forced to produce older airframes because it simply won't have enough modern engines to produce nothing but the most modern planes...


b) Airplane production can be rationalised WITHIN a plane airframe type.
E.g. If I wished to produce lots of AB6N2as ( 40 are made ) I could swap the 36 B6N2s to B6N2as within the editor at no cost. I could not, however, swap the 76 B6N2 and B6N2as produced to B7Ns as the B7N is a different airframe entirely.
Also, this means that the 68 G3M3s being produced per month cannot be swapped to G4Ms or any other plane type without cost.


c) On the other hand production of any plane type can be "scrapped" and the number of factories "scrapped" can be changed to produce another airframe type BUT they must begin the game in a damaged state and will be repaired in-game as per normal rules.

E.g. If I decide the G3M3 is useless I could decide to scrap all 68 G3M3s and add another 68 G4M2a factories ( but these factories would all have to be damaged and would have to repair in-game at a cost in supply etc ).

So, basically, Japan gets to continue producing plane types and optimise them for the most useful subtypes for free and with no delay in production (upgrading A6M2 to A6M5 ) but if it wants to upgrade airframes to vastly newer airframes ( e.g. G3Ms modernised to P4Y Frances then it must "scrap" the G3M production line and replace it with an equivalent number of damaged P4Y factories which will repair in-game. This is exactly how things work in-game at present but doing it in the editor will simplify my planning process and make sure I don't forget something when the game starts. One exception is the Ki-115. If I wished I could scrap the G3M3 production and just make 68 x Ki-115s instead. The reasoning is that the Ki-115 could be made by woodcarvers and didn't really require much expertise at all so switching production should be pretty easy.

Apart from this I'll be ensuring that land-based IJNAF and IJAAF squadrons can fly eachothers fighters and bombers ( particularly in terms of making the torpedo-carrying IJAAF bombers available to the IJNAF ). That's just a bit of common sense.



Pilot experience and training:
On both sides I'm going to reduce the number of replacements by 50% and increase pilot experience x 100% ( up to a maximum of 80% ). This means that the Allies simply won't have to worry about on-map training as they will get, roughly, 1296 pilots of 80 Exp per month. The Japanese will get 548 pilots of 70 Exp per month and so will still have to worry about pilot experience if they want to do well.

Ohkas and mines:
I'll increase mine production for both sides to make minelayers useful. I'll also increase Ohka production so it doesn't prevent G4M3es being useful.


IJA AAA:
I will be adding a small number of IJA Heavy AAA Regiments. These will join the game at something like 10% TO&E and will have to built up in order to be useful. SO the Japanese player won't get them for free. On the other hand if the Japanese player plays well those AAA units can become formidable.


So, apart from the Ki-115 change and the Ki-264 family addition, some sub conversions and the AAA the Japanese won't be getting anything "new" or extra. They will get some increased flexibility in terms of production and usage. Both sides will benefit from the change to pilot training as managing pilot training for thousands of pilots can be really annoying.


In return for the above changes the Allies will get a significant increase to their bomber replacement rates. I'm thinking of an across the board 25% increase to bomber replacements. Fighter replacements will remain the same for land-based fighters but CV-based fighters will also be increased somewhat. This should allow the Allies to attack into increased fighter opposition. Overall the Allies get about 1,200 fighters per month in 44 and that increases in 45.



Now, with that explained, I'm looking for someone willing to start a game. I would prefer to play as Japan since I want to see how I can manage a defence vs a massive number of Allied CVs and overwhelming force . It seems that people are getting 7 or 8 :1 wins vs the AI and are handily able to defeat the Japanese vs a human player ( assuming they don't sail too close to Japan with a CV TF before battering its defences into the dust with LBA ).

I would prefer that the person who wishes to command the Allies would have an interest in doing an AAR as I would be planning to do an AAR myself. I would also like a third party to hold both passwords to ensure against anyone dropping out.

In terms of house rules... If Japan is going to survive at all it'll only be through nasty, dirty fighting so it would be churlish not to allow the Allies to do the same. So, as far as I'm concerned anything goes. Please though, before thinking of accepting the Allied position be sure you are comfortable with an anything goes game. Suicide TFs into invasion hexes to disrupt unloading, bombers flying at 100 feet to avoid radar, kamis at max altitude above your CAP etc, 1000 B-29s bombing from a Level 4 airfield at night and destroying 200 fighters on the ground. ANYTHING goes.



So, fancy beating up on a pretty helpless Japan with no navy to speak of ( I have 1 BB, 2 CAs and about 4 CVs ) but a fearsome number of land-based planes? No rules except a ban on exploiting game bugs. 1 turn per day and dual AARs preferrable. PM me if interested.

Again though, please DO be aware of what a no rules game means. Of course since the Allies have 24 CVs, some 26 CVLs and about 48 CVEs at game start and 29 BBs as well as about 300 DDs there's every chance you'll get to do unto me before I get to do unto you. ON the other hand I am rather sneaky at times.

Interesting concept...I'll follow it closel.

No EA from December 1941?

Aye, there will be....

Four things are holding it up:
1. The next patch is supposed to bring some significant changes to the A2A model and there is a possibility there might be significant changes in there to aspects which would particularly impact on EA.

2. I think there may be some aspects which impact on Allied on-map production in the patch.

3. I want to check my thinking re: late-war air combat. Consider this very small mini-mod and game to be my testing of that concept.

4. I've tested some more and I think late-war Allied FlAK may well be understated.... not so much against ordinary attacks but against kamis... This could cripple any late-war game but I want to test it so I have data before I commit to that view.


If the patch isn't out by the beginning of December then no matter what I'll release EA by the end of the month. I'm happy with it insofar as testing goes.

ON the other hand I am rather sneaky at times.

No! . . . Really??[:D]

The addition of the Ki-264 (one of your favorites) does make things interesting. I'm not sure the additional armor is realistic, because later in the war the Japanese had a serious shortage of the alloying elements needed to make high strength-to-weight steels. For the Allies, cannon-armed F8F Bearcats would not be available to USN CV's until at least late 1945, but after the first encounter, it might be reasonable to allow American fighter-bombers to use their rockets as air-to-air weapons.

Nemo,

thanks for your elaborate reply. Some insights in there I hadn't realized myself before.

On thing bothers me though> how do you sweep own hexes? Or does that involve some settings that arent WAD? Or maybe it's your secret and dont want to share...

Anyway: thanks for the pointers!

ORIGINAL: Nemo121

... Now, with that explained, I'm looking for someone willing to start a game. I would prefer to play as Japan since I want to see how I can manage a defence vs a massive number of Allied CVs and overwhelming force . It seems that people are getting 7 or 8 :1 wins vs the AI and are handily able to defeat the Japanese vs a human player ( assuming they don't sail too close to Japan with a CV TF before battering its defences into the dust with LBA ).

I would prefer that the person who wishes to command the Allies would have an interest in doing an AAR as I would be planning to do an AAR myself. I would also like a third party to hold both passwords to ensure against anyone dropping out.

In terms of house rules... ANYTHING goes.
...

If I had time & experience handling the Allied war machine I'd gladly take up the mantle. Alas I do not but let me say to prospective players, playing Nemo121 is a helluva experience.

Having said that I think the prospective player should have:
[*] Worn green for a long time. Lighter shades of brown or yellow are also acceptable. Mixing and matching is encouraged even cross-dressing will have given you a flair for what works for you.
[*] Memorised the entire posting history of Nemo's tips and tricks. But having read Machiavelli, Clauswitz, Shakespeare's tragedies or other obscure papers on military tactics in a foreign tongue may be considered.
[*] Been divorced at least once... cause "Anything goes"!
[*] Been remarried cause you don't have commitment issues.
[*] Been accused by significant other of being "hard to read".
[*] Been recruited by MI-5 as a double agent and a proponent in misinformation. You tell your partner you're a used car salesman.
[*] No links to wiki-leaks.
[*] Learned in German and Russian language and tactics. Those having spent some "reflection" time in a Siberian Gulag, need not apply.
[*] The ability to quote "Black Adder" or be Adder-esque would be highly prized.
[*] Thinks Patton, MacArthur, Rommel, Genghis Khan and Alexander were all pussies. Wakes to the sound of "Ride of the Valkyries".
[*] Organised at least a 5 day - 20 city Asian tour with young children in(en?)-tow.
[*] Or alternatively have cheated on a mistress who has the calibre of Portman, Hepburn (either one) or Judd; cause it's never enough for you.. Sitting on your laurels should result in immediate termination of said contract.
[*] You were not the skipper of the HMS Astute(how ironic), with a lot more time on his hands now.
[*] Have considered selling your Grandmother or other close relatives and thinks that it's an acceptable & necessary loss. Hence no attachment issues or namby-pamby feelings of digital regret.
[*] Committed to:

This story shall the good man teach his son; (AAR wise)
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered-
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; (hopefully not too few - see previous post)
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,

[*] And above all you like to play to learn & have fun.

Enjoy [;)]

Gees Damian, I'm actually really offended..... I'd NEVER expect anyone to cheat on Natalie Portman. [:D] *Where's the drool emoticon when you need it*

Nemo, Damian,

ORIGINAL: n01487477

If I had time & experience handling the Allied war machine I'd gladly take up the mantle. Alas I do not but let me say to prospective players, playing Nemo121 is a helluva experience.

+1 for most of the aspects. Time does not permit me to pick up the glove, and I deeply regret that this is the case. Playing Nemo is a BLAST, and really really means lots of gain in experience and lots of highly entertaining communication. Highly recommended. But you need to be able to accept a spanking.

ORIGINAL: n01487477
Having said that I think the prospective player should have:
[*] Worn green for a long time. Lighter shades of brown or yellow are also acceptable. Mixing and matching is encouraged even cross-dressing will have given you a flair for what works for you.
[*] Memorised the entire posting history of Nemo's tips and tricks. But having read Machiavelli, Clauswitz, Shakespeare's tragedies or other obscure papers on military tactics in a foreign tongue may be considered.
[*] Been divorced at least once... cause "Anything goes"!
[*] Been remarried cause you don't have commitment issues.
[*] Been accused by significant other of being "hard to read".
[*] Been recruited by MI-5 as a double agent and a proponent in misinformation. You tell your partner you're a used car salesman.
[*] No links to wiki-leaks.
[*] Learned in German and Russian language and tactics. Those having spent some "reflection" time in a Siberian Gulag, need not apply.
[*] The ability to quote "Black Adder" or be Adder-esque would be highly prized.
[*] Thinks Patton, MacArthur, Rommel, Genghis Khan and Alexander were all pussies. Wakes to the sound of "Ride of the Valkyries".
[*] Organised at least a 5 day - 20 city Asian tour with young children in(en?)-tow.
[*] Or alternatively have cheated on a mistress who has the calibre of Portman, Hepburn (either one) or Judd; cause it's never enough for you.. Sitting on your laurels should result in immediate termination of said contract.
[*] You were not the skipper of the HMS Astute(how ironic), with a lot more time on his hands now.
[*] Have considered selling your Grandmother or other close relatives and thinks that it's an acceptable & necessary loss. Hence no attachment issues or namby-pamby feelings of digital regret.
[*] Committed to:

This story shall the good man teach his son; (AAR wise)
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered-
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; (hopefully not too few - see previous post)
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,

[*] And above all you like to play to learn & have fun.
Enjoy [;)]

Lol, Shakespeare's Henry V. I actually like the movie with Kenneth Branagh. Still, your opposing camp will be of a different calibre. Anyway, a great end of a very amusing list - with some important nuggets of information in it. I a way like an e-mail accompanying a turn from Nemo, you should just evaluate which of the generally correct aspects are applicable in the present situation and the consequences of such evaluation.

In other words, always ask yourself "why" while not bogging down your OODA cycle doing so.

Looking forward to this

Hartwig

ORIGINAL: n01487477

If I had time & experience handling the Allied war machine I'd gladly take up the mantle. Alas I do not but let me say to prospective players, playing Nemo121 is a helluva experience.

Having said that I think the prospective player should have:
[*] Worn green for a long time. Lighter shades of brown or yellow are also acceptable. Mixing and matching is encouraged even cross-dressing will have given you a flair for what works for you.
[*] Memorised the entire posting history of Nemo's tips and tricks. But having read Machiavelli, Clauswitz, Shakespeare's tragedies or other obscure papers on military tactics in a foreign tongue may be considered.
[*] Been divorced at least once... cause "Anything goes"!
[*] Been remarried cause you don't have commitment issues.
[*] Been accused by significant other of being "hard to read".
[*] Been recruited by MI-5 as a double agent and a proponent in misinformation. You tell your partner you're a used car salesman.
[*] No links to wiki-leaks.
[*] Learned in German and Russian language and tactics. Those having spent some "reflection" time in a Siberian Gulag, need not apply.
[*] The ability to quote "Black Adder" or be Adder-esque would be highly prized.
[*] Thinks Patton, MacArthur, Rommel, Genghis Khan and Alexander were all pussies. Wakes to the sound of "Ride of the Valkyries".
[*] Organised at least a 5 day - 20 city Asian tour with young children in(en?)-tow.
[*] Or alternatively have cheated on a mistress who has the calibre of Portman, Hepburn (either one) or Judd; cause it's never enough for you.. Sitting on your laurels should result in immediate termination of said contract.
[*] You were not the skipper of the HMS Astute(how ironic), with a lot more time on his hands now.
[*] Have considered selling your Grandmother or other close relatives and thinks that it's an acceptable & necessary loss. Hence no attachment issues or namby-pamby feelings of digital regret.
[*] Committed to:

This story shall the good man teach his son; (AAR wise)
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered-
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; (hopefully not too few - see previous post)
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,

[*] And above all you like to play to learn & have fun.

Enjoy [;)]

[:D]

Ok, it looks like we have a taker who will AAR and is happy to take on the challenge of being the Allies. With a little luck we'll get the game on the road tonight, I'm going to start working on the airplane production changes now.

My opponent will be Panzerjaeger Hortlund and I'll begin the AAR for the Japanese side tomorrow either way. The mini-mod's name will be EA armaggedon and it will largely just feature aerial and airgroup changes from the normal AndyMac minimod. as well as some small modification of the means of production.... Basically just adding a few 0 (0) airframe and engine factories to allow for disseminated production ( which I think the Japanese would have engaged in if they were rationally planning for this sort of an end-game ).

I've also revised the Allied pilot replacements in 1946. I reduced replacements by less than in 1945. In 45 it was reduced by 50% but in 46 it was only reduced by 25%. This benefits the Allies hugely because it means the USN alone produces as many 80 Exp pilots as both the IJNAF and IJAAF combined.

Speaking of Natalie Portman...

Allies suits me perfectly, I've seen the pride of the IJN sink before my eyes more times than I can remember. [;)]

This should be an interesting challenge though, and not many games reach the invasion of Japan...

Im going to start an AAR-thread shortly, and as soon as I get the scenario-files from Nemo, we are on.

Allies suits me perfectly, I've seen the pride of the IJN sink before my eyes more times than I can remember.

This should be an interesting challenge though, and not many games reach the invasion of Japan...

Very true -- this AAR will likely end with the reconquest of Malaya, at which point the Japanese will throw in the towel.

Kudos on picking up the gauntlet! Maybe now I can see a few more casualty numbers to see if AE does a reasonable job of estimating what would have happened with a conventional invasion.

LOL! Well, it seems we have two things in common, an appreciation of THE Portman and the fact that we both enjoy seeing the IJN sink. To be fair I'm Soviet enough that I enjoy it sinking even if I'm in command. I don't have much of an IJN for a death ride but at the appropriate time I plan to commit it.

With Blackadder in mind I should say that, "I have a cunning plan." It should be interesting either way. I'll start an AAR after sending the file this evening. I'm just trying to bodge the Toka and Ki-115s in right now. Once that's done I'll do a quick data check and then it'll be winging its way to you.

ORIGINAL: Capt. Harlock
Very true -- this AAR will likely end with the reconquest of Malaya, at which point the Japanese will throw in the towel.

Kudos on picking up the gauntlet! Maybe now I can see a few more casualty numbers to see if AE does a reasonable job of estimating what would have happened with a conventional invasion.

Hehe, yeah, knowing Nemo, I'm half-expecting having to defend Guam against a division-sized sub-invasion [:D]

Nemo,

will you provide a link so one can download the mini-mod ? Makes following along easier.
Alternatively, I would appreciate if you could send it by e-mail. Thanks a lot.

Hartwig

Hartwig,

Aye, I'll do my best to post it somewhere after I send it to PH... I'm anticipating finishing it up tonight. I've got the upgrades working the way I want and am just working on redistributing the planes and engine production/research now.